Air motor



Feb. 19 1924. 1,484,414

P. k. RUCKEL A'IR MOTOR Filed Sept. 19, 1921 INVENTORY v WATTORNEY.

Patented Feb. 19, 1924.

E. snare oFFICE.

PHILLIP K. BUCKEL, or saemew, MICHIGAN.

AIR MOTOR.

Application. filed September 19, 1921.- Serial No. 501,523

To all whom it may concern: Be 1t known that I, PHILLIP K. RUGK L,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Saginaw, in the county of Saginaw and State of Michigan, have invented certain make and use the same.

V This invention relates to air motors andpertains more particularly to an improved constructlon of a1r motor or w nd mill.

' The improvement pertains more specifi cally to a novel combination and arrangement of vanes and the mechanism for auto matically adjusting the vanes to different planes during their revolution about the axis of the wheels upon which the vanes are mounted.

' The general construction and mode of op eration of my improved wind wheel is illustrated and described in my copending application, Serial No. 459,600,v in'which the vanes and their actuatingmechanism are described as being adapted to propulsion of an aeroplane. Reference may be had to the above-mentioned application'for detail description of the construction and mounting of the blades on the revolving wheels.

My present invention provides a strong, yet comparatively simple air motor construction whereby a greater degree of air pressure may be obtainedper square foot of wind plane or vane surface, and whereby high'speed of revolution of the main shaft of the air motor may be attained. With these and certain other objects in view, which will appear later in the specifi cation, my inventioncomprises the devices described and claimed and the equivalents thereof. In the drawings, tion of a wind millor air motor embodying my improvement. a P

Fig. 2 is a side view, broken; away in part, of one of the power wheels and its mounting. y

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentarysectional view, taken on the line 3,3 ofFig; 4.

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic side view of thewheel rim upon which the vanes are piv- Fig. 1 a frontelevaotally mounted and of the cam track by which the angular positions of the vanes are-automatically changed during the revolution of the vanes.

Figs. 5 and 6 are respectively a plan view and an edge view of one of the roller-carrying bars that co-act with the cam track to properly shift the radial positions-of each of the feathering blades as they revolve.

Referring to Fig. 1, the air-motor comprises the usual tower or frame 1, upon the top of "which is carried an annular ball race 2 which is capped by a revolvable plate 3 formed with a ball race on its under side.

Between the two ball'races are received the balls 4, upon which the plate 3 revolves.

Plate 3 carries a pair of standards 5, 5,

in which is mounted the tail shaft 6 of tail 7. Disposed at right angles tothe shaft 6 and mounted on theplate 3 is a pair of brackets 8, 8, having bearings 9, 9, in which the main shaft 10 is revolubly mounted.

Fixed to the main shaft 10 near its center is a bevel pinion 11, or its equivalent, mesh ing with a bevel'pinion12, which is fixed to the upper end ofthe downwardlyprojecting shaft 13. This shaft projects through a'vertical bearing 14 formed bythe hubs of plates 2 and '3. In Fig. 2 shaft 13. is

removed from the bearing for the sake of clearn'ess. I

Each of the bearings 9 is preferably formed with any integral projecting boss 15s 'ee Fig. 3 'and' rigidly fixed to this boss is aplurality'of spokes 16 supporting a cam track-or rim 17 of irregular curved shape,

' as shown in Figs. 2 and4, and ofsubstantially U-shaped cross section, as shown in Fig. 3.

Keyed to the shaft 10 nearfhub 15 is a wheel hub18, to which is fixed a plurality of spokes 19 carrying a wheel rim 20.

' The hub 18, spokes-19 and rim '20 form in .efiect'a wheel keyed to the shaft 10 as an axle. There are preferably four such wheels mounted on the shaft 10, two on each radially projecting end of the shaft, as shownin Fig. 1.

Between-the wheels of each is a plurality. of wind vanes or wings21, eachcarried byja revolvable shaft22 havingits ends journaled in-therrims of wheels 20, so that each vane 21 is tiltably mounted on the pair of wheels 20, and each vane revolves with at the bottom, is effected; bymeans -of; the fixed cam track 17 locatedalongside the wheel 20. The shape o;t -this;c'am and the means-by which the cam is connectedto" the vane are such that the proper angular movement and reversal otthe direction or; the vaneTis attained during each revolution of thewheels.

Upon the end of central shaft 22of each tiltable vane is secured a'rafdi'ally jpiroj acting bar 23 having idler rollers or equivalentsprd iG'QlZlOH S QQ' and:- 25 journaled at its ends. 'VVhenQthe bari'2-3 of one of the propelling vanes has one of its end :rollers, as 25, traveling in the cam track 17 theradial or angular pos'ition ofthe 23,- and consequently of th'evane'to which the bar is attached, will be de'tern'iined'by the relativeiposition and direction of curvature l of the cam I track- 17 with respect togthe axisoii theivane. The

arm 23'; and its rbller's 24 and 25 form the 7 operating connection between the tiltable vanes '21; andpthe cain track 17; The vanes take the successive positions" indi eated bythe clQttetHineSin-Fig.4,

7 It will 'be noticed'in 'l i g, tthat the' outer jradial edge ofan'y given planeis', when vertical, outsidefihe boundary of cam 17 and remains outside during the rearward, downward and part of the forward rnovenientof the vane, but during theupward pvmenp of the tviarnathis edge'is insi'de the boundary of the cam 17; To make this shift in the-position bf the vane while it revolves, I p'reier to arrange the cam track '17 asshown in Figs. 2 and 4,; where'thei re1lers 2 ta 'I1d-25 travel as indicated 5 diagranin'iatically'by'; the

dotted lines. I r

"In the lower left ha nd part of Fig. 4;,

roller, as just entering 'oneopen end f'the cam traclc17 while the opposite rain; is "ieaynigahe i an ain eaitaie 2s D uring the neXt succeeding-j re'vvolution of the vane, roller arttravels aro'und the lengtli of" tlie fcainl and as 7 it leaves [the eiiiteiid 2 6 off'the- "can, roller25' will thenbe entering, so that at each revolution-Qojffthe Whee s-@9 1? he as? he-re a n f; t

horizontal, posiair strikes the sail of a' boat inseam next succeeding revolution the opposite roller 24: travels around the cam. 7

To avoid accidental crowding of the rollers 24 and 25 in the upper part of cam track 17 where the. directionof: inclination of the wind vanes 21. is changed as indicated in Fig. 4:, and to insure such change of inclination, ccurringsn oothly even when running at high speeds, I'provide on bar 23 a fixed deflecting wiper or guide 27 adapted to engage a fixed cam 28 which may be secured by means ofspokes to cam track 17, as shown in Fig. 2.

By this means-lavoidany abrupt change of the-angleof tiltas the-vanespassaround the upper area of their travel, and-without interferingwi'th theginorma'l action of cam track 17 and idler rolls 25 I thereby insure a gradual and positive change of tilt; of the vanes.

The tail 7 keeps the vanesiheade'd :into the wind as in anordinaryiwind mill, andby mounting a, power wheel at each side'oithe vertical axis, as shownin Fig. 1', the parts arebalanced so that the: tail 7-"turns the mechanism in a horizontal plane with the greatest ease.

' During the working, part. of the revolution, it will be seen that the propelling vanesare practically at right'angles to :the direction of the wind and that each'vane as it travels "back before the/wind gradually tilts and presents its; surface atv a slight: angle to the wind, as shown at the-left in Fig. 2:,so that the" blast of airstrikesf the vane 1 surface inthe same. manner. that the g running athwardthe windl' As is well known, under these; conditions a very. high speed 'o-f rotation can-beattained. During the: return or forward travel of the vane, it ispresentedtpractically edgewiseto the wind; ofiering the leastf pos-r' sible surfaceiresistance and as it rises to its working position; for. the return stroke the vane is again so'presented'to the wind that the tendency of the-wind is toifurther increase the propelling power;- Thus during each revolution of a vane .11 avail myself not only'of' the propelling power while the vane is at right angles-to thewind, but

It a'lso turn the vaneat the beginning-and end of e ach working move-mentiinisuchtree lation to the} wind that the vane adds inateriallyito the propellingapower onitstnormal working travel.

'While I have shown anddescribed in Fig. 4 the angleof' the Vanes'as-changingi" from horizontal at the bottom of thefeircle ofitravel, to vertical at the top,andmaking the change verygradu allyduring; the n pward movement of the vanes, it}: b vious th gty slightly alterin the shape; of the; 'cam' 17; thefbladesnia'y laminate change as? inelinatieng mere ni gpless rapidly; s as to bring them to their vertical position earlier or later on the working arc of the circle, as desired.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In an air motor, the combination of a revolvable support, a tail carried by said support, a shaft rotatably mounted on said support and projecting radially therefrom, a pair of wheels fixed to each of the projecting ends of said shaft, the wheels of each pair spaced apart, a plurality of tiltable vanes mounted between the rims of said wheels, a radially projecting bar and a deflecting wiper secured to said vane, projections on theends of said bar, a cam track of approximately circular shape throughout the length of its circumference and located in fixed position relative to said vanes, a fixed cam guide in the path of travel of said wiper, the projections on said bar movably engaged with and adapted totravel said cam track.

along[ 2. 11 an a1r motor, the combination of a support revolvable in a horizontal plane, a tail carried by said support, a main shaft rotatably mounted on said support and projecting radially therefrom, a pairof wheels fixed to each of the projecting ends of said main shaft, the wheels of each pair spaced apart, a plurality of shafts mounted between the rims of said wheels, a radially 3. In an air motor, the combination of a revolvable support, a tail carried by said support, a shaft rotatably mounted on said support and projecting at each side radially therefrom, a pair of Wheels fixed to eachv of the projecting ends of said shaft, the wheels of each pair spaced apart, a plurality of tiltable vanes mounted between the rims of said wheels, a radially projecting q bar secured to said vane, rollers on the ends of said bar, a cam track of irregular curved shape located in fixed position relative to said vanes, said cam track having two open ends comprising intersecting guideways, a

fixed cam guide and an angularly disposed Wiper on saidvane, the rollers on said bar movably engaged with and adapted to travel along said cam track.

In testimony whereof I nature.

affix sig- PHILLIP K. RUCKEL. 

